Jackson Jambalaya

If important to that community the school district should increase its millage.

This is why we need the lotto, we need legal weed, and we need to legalize and tax prostitution. The revenues from taxing Marijuana and Prostitution alone would pay for the music in the school district. How much Marijuana and prostitution already illegally takes place in Amite county and the county don't receive any revenue.

When is Mississippi going to stop being a Baptist Theocracy and actually make some progress?

Doc C, you mean same way the gambling taxes were going to fund education and solve all the state's financial problems. You've already been smoking it.

We need to consolidate more school districts.

According to Tater, all taxes are bad. That's why this state is at the bottom of the list for everything. He'll hide behind the casinos and lottery though. In the end, all the blame goes to the electorate. Tater is still a spineless tool. He never had an original idea in his life. Certainly not any that he had to go out on a limb for.

C-note, great ideas. The proprietors may have difficulty finding "hostesses," but they can run it by hand until fully staffed.

I agree with Tate. Schools are socialist and anything socialist is bad! Kids don’t need schools paid for by taxes. If all these parents weren’t so lazy, they could afford to pay for school themselves or homeschool them if they can’t afford it. If those aren’t an option, the church will take care of them.

I'm sure that the way to the promised land is to cut taxes until you can drown government in the bathtub.

Just look at how kansA$$ is leading the way!

Signed Sam Brownquack.

KF is right. Far too many studies show that music actually helps with brain development, coordination, team building, and discipline. Watch their test scores fall even further thanks to this...

Agreed @ 9:39

As an aside, this is what "starving the beast" looks like.

Enjoy.

An awful lot of comments on here and I'll bet that none of them have looked at the Amite County School District's budget - what are they spending money on; what revenue are they receiving from local, state and federal.

Yes, music programs are important. Are they the only things that are important? Hell no. Let's check the administrative expenses. What about the athletic programs? Are they more important than music programs? The district (assistant principal) claims that they needed to hire a counselor. Maybe so - is that more important than a music program? Or is it more important than an "assistant principal"? How many students does the district have? Do districts need superintendents, principals and assistant principals?

Or, do we just need to find any and every reason to take pot shots at the LG - Tate Reeves? Not the Governor. Or the Speaker. Or the (overpaid) State Superintendent of Education. Its all Tater's fault. What about the local officials - that's where much of the funding is supposed to come from for local districts - what part of the local budget has gone to the schools?

While we are at it, does this school district provide appropriate educational opportunities for their special needs kids? Those that are in love with the government schools getting whatever money they want, not need but want, claim that they should be the ones taking care of those children as well. How's that working out in Amite County?

Wondering minds want to know - much more interesting thoughts than the ignorant comments provided thus far without any facts, figures or information behind them.

Tater must follow this blog by the minute.

Based on the Amite County School District website, they have an elementary school, a high school and a Vo-Tech school. Each has a principal and an assistant principal. The first thing the superintendent did when reelected in 2015 was ask for a 50% increase in his salary.

Currently, their athletic program consists of:

Football - Boys JV and Boys Varsity

Volleyball - Boys varsity and girls varsity

Basketball - Boys JV, Boys freshmen, and boys varsity

Baseball - Boys Junior High, Boys JV and Boys varsity

Track and field - Boys JV and Varsity
Girls JV and Varsity

Weight Lifting
and
Archery.

Of course, there is also cheerleading year round and band year round.

Understand that none of these programs could be cut, reduced or combined; or administrative staff (15 positions in superintendent's office) reduced.

Those that want to complain because the local district leadership eliminated music programs should be asking why that program rather than other possibilities considered when needing to find $500,000 in their next year's budget. (BTW, I'll bet that there wasn't nearly $500k being spent on music programs in their elementary schools, but that's another fact that could be questions.)

Its not all about education -- its all about the spending of education dollars.

I'll bet you I can find enough money to save the music program. The children will like it, but the soon to fired administrators won't.

Not disagreeing with you one bit.

Pension expenses also went up as well. Some due to a change in GASB rules.

With the state and federal guidance, most programs are in jeopardy because of lack of supervision. It's a double edge sword.

Amite County shouldn't be a separate school district. It should be consolidated with McComb or another close by district. However, that won't change all of its problems. There is no tax base. There just isn't. Music should not be cut. These kids are already experience deprived they need all the exposure to art and music they can get.

Tater wants to hold the line on taxes. these critics want unlimited taxes to feed the "beast." the problem is not taxes being too low. the problem is school decision makers do not know how to set priorities and stick to them. blame Tater or blame the spending decisions. School administrators making bad spending decisions? Say it isn't so!!!! Hood and his crowd would say it's all tater's fault. yeah right!

You mean, legalized gambling isn't saving us despite the social costs?

Who are the people making these decisions, or at least recommending them to the school boards? Principals and superintendents. With very few exceptions, most at the elementary level, who are the principals and superintendents? Former coaches. Do you really expect a former coach to support music over athletics? I'm surprised we have any music programs left anywhere.